Nestlé Vietnam issues long-term commitment to enhance women’s livelihoods

The information was released at a conference to summarise the implementation of the Nestlé Accompanying Women programme in Hanoi on November 24.

The initiative was implemented for the first time by Nestlé Vietnam in collaboration with the Vietnam Women's Union in nine provinces in December 2020, before being expanded to 21 localities nationwide in November 2022.

It has helped 13,000 women, especially those in rural areas, to improve their knowledge and skills, and keep pace with the digital transformation process while creating sustainable livelihoods. Among them, 4,000 members have been trained in communication skills and financial management, and 5,000 learned about digital technology. All members participated in the training activities on the use of digital applications.

Participating in the scheme allowed the women to become more confident in taking control of their lives as they formed a stronger grasp of how to exploit the strengths of digital technology.

By the end of September, the programme had created and maintained sustainable livelihood models to promote digital applications in 790 communes, with 1,840 models nationwide.

Binu Jacob, general director of Nestlé Vietnam

Binu Jacob, general director of Nestlé Vietnam said, "2023 is the first year in the second phase of the long-term bilateral cooperation between Nestlé Vietnam and the Vietnam Women's Union, which is running from 2022 to 2027. We are proud to see thousands of women becoming more confident in taking control of their lives and contributing to the economic development of their family and the locality."

“In addition to activities on improving nutritional knowledge, equipping soft skills, and creating sustainable livelihood models, one of the programme's key activities in 2023 and beyond is to promote the digital transformation and realise the government's goal that Vietnam's digital economy will account for 20 per cent of GDP by 2025 and increase to 30 per cent by 2030,” he said.

Looking at orientation for 2024, Truong Thi Thu Thuy, member of the Presidium and head of the Family and Society Committee at the Vietnam Women's Union said, "The scheme will open many training sessions to improve knowledge and skills. It will focus on IT, digital transformation, sustainable livelihood support, and initial capital support as part of the Cooking up a Career course."

The Startup Sister Nest initiative will focus on supporting women when starting a business. The primary beneficiaries are women in the Central Highlands region who participate in the Sustainable Coffee Farming Project.

At the conference, the Vietnam Women's Union and Nestlé Vietnam honoured 19 groups and individuals from provincial to grassroots levels for most effectively implementing the Nestlé Accompanying Women programme.

The programme continues to implement initiatives to empower women at the company, in the community, and throughout the value chain that Nestlé has built in Vietnam over nearly 30 years. Nestlé is also committed to empowering women through its NESCAFÉ Plan initiative.

At Nestlé Vietnam, gender equality is expressed via human resource development policies, ranging from recruitment to succession planning and promotions. The proportion of women holding leadership positions in the company reached 54 per cent. These commitments are part of the social pillar of Nestlé Vietnam's strategy to implement sustainable initiatives.

Nestlé Vietnam again ranks in list of Vietnam's largest corporate taxpayers Nestlé Vietnam has again been recognised for its efforts to maintain business continuity to ensure employment and income for workers while making a significant contribution to the state budget during 2020–2022, despite the myriad challenges posed by the pandemic.

Nestlé Vietnam contributes to elevating the role of women across the supply chain With a strong commitment to empowering women, especially those in rural areas, Nestlé Vietnam is implementing many initiatives across its supply chain, such as the NESCAFÉ Plan and the Nestlé Accompanies Women programme.

Nestlé Vietnam recognised as Typical Enterprise for Labour for fourth consecutive year Nestlé Vietnam has recently been recognised as a Typical Enterprise for Labour in 2023 thanks to its efforts to improve the material and spiritual lives of its employees, creating a workplace that can unlock the potential of each staff member and bring shared value to the community.

Nestlé Vietnam recognised for positive work culture Le Thanh Khang, head of Organization Department & Talent Management of Nestlé Vietnam, told VIR's Thai An about efforts to ensure welfare and encourage employees to promote value in the working environment, contributing to helping Nestle be honoured four times as a top Typical Enterprise for Labour.

Nestlé Vietnam values partnerships for sustainability goals The circular economy and sustainable development are long roads that one cannot travel alone. Everyone must go together, including manufacturers, distributors, managers, and consumers.